New Delhi: The future of thousands of students has finally been decided at least for this year.
In what has been a big blow to the Government's pro-reservation stance, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to vacate the stay on 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in elite educational institutions like IIMs and IITs.
There was predictably, an immediate reaction from Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday asked the Centre to "take action before people erupt like volcano".
Taking it a step further, the Tamil Nadu government filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to be impleaded in the case relating to the 27 per cent quota, fixed by the Centre for OBCs in Central educational institutions.
The petition filed by the Karunanidhi government through counsel V G Pragasam submitted that the state should be heard in the matter as any order passed by the Apex Court would have considerable bearing in Tamil Nadu.
Supporting the 27 per cent OBC quota benefit provided by the Centre, the state government claimed that it was a pioneer in extending reservation benefits to the SCs, STs and OBCs in the State and hence its views have to be considered by the Apex Court before passing any judgement.
The Supreme Court is expected to take up the application on May 8 along with the main case.
Tamil Nadu has the highest percentage of reservation in institutes of higher education in the country - 69 per cent - and the state's politics revolves around the OBC vote bank.
Even the merit argument is countered by supporters of reservation who say that several decades after quota was enforced, Tamil Nadu still produces world class professionals.
On April 5, 2007, in what seemed like almost defiance of the Supreme Court verdict, the Tamil Nadu government announced exclusive reservations for Christians and Muslims in government services and educational institutions.
The decision was taken on the recommendations of the state Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice M Janardanam, a retired judge of the Madras High court, said Karunanidhi.
A Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and L S Panta had earlier stayed the implementation of the 27 per cent reservation benefits for OBCs.
The issue had assumed considerable political overtones with the UPA Government seeking an early hearing of the matter and also urging the apex court to refer the issue to a Constitution Bench since it involved substantive issue of Constitutional rights.
Tamil Nadu is of the opinion that the Apex Court verdict affects the rights of Parliament and is a setback to the socially and educationally oppressed sections of society.
Pro-reservationists in the state won their battle decades ago and while the Apex Court's order gives some hope to those against reservations, it now seems that they are all set to face strong protests from the southern state.
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